Well folks we are back in at the deep end, a Wind of War about the attacks by the Cold Sun on the Empire!
Empire is a LARP run by Profound Decisions here in the UK; they run four events a year, and in the month or so going up to those events, they put out updates on the world and what’s happening in it. The Cold Sun are a new enemy that was introduced last year, they are the Heralds of an Eternal (think Fae monarchs who embody the themes of a realm of magic) and are intent on destroying all thinking life in this world. They plan to start with the Empire, and, thanks to some unfortunate enchantments cast between the third and fourth events last year, have gotten a very good start at it.
The Scions of the Cold Sun are particularly focused on attacking places of culture and beauty, as well as the people who are protecting these sites. They have also started attacking the Trods (magical pathways which drain the power of other big scary enemy of the world, the Vallorn, whilst giving the people who walk down them added stamina) and started looting Great Works and other places where building items and such can be taken.
Since the Autumn Equinox, the attacks of the Cold Sun have become bloodier (or ashier, since they often burn their victims from the inside out) and they can be split into several distinct groups who are acting with their own priorities. The original Wind of War goes into much more detail, but as that is 15000 words I will not be attempting to mimic that!
Here is a link to the original post.
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(Wintermark) The Silence Arc
One of the armies of the Cold Sun, the Silence Arc, broke into our realm through a little known Day Regio in Valasmark known as the Lantern Gate, before sending out numerous raiding parties. They showed no mercy to those they found and killed anyone who could not kill them first. There were believed to be 3000 Scions at first. Some of their number were lost as they moved across the mountains but their first true battle was against the defenders of Valashal, a grand hall where scops sing of heroes and future heroes are trained.
Around 1500 soldiers accompanying 13 heroes set up their defences at Valashal, certain that they would be killed on the morn. However, as the sun rose a thirty foot wall of ice appeared out of the mist and a thousand warriors of Cathan Canae came to their aid.
The Valashal is saved, though with many falling in its defence, some 200 or so are believed to have died this day. The Silence Arc are severely depleted, but forced into the North-West by the combined forces of Wintermark and Cathan Canae. This is taken as a sign of defeat, but there are no defences to stand against the Cold Sun here, and many of the people are forced to flee further North into the oncoming Winter.
Any player who sent their military units to this battle will receive a golden apple in their player pack at the start of the next game and they are expected to find a way to use this to fight back against the Cold Sun in some way. A Golden Apple is a form of Summer Realm Viz and can be used in the place of 3 mana crystals.
(Wintermark) The Exigent Span
In Kallavasea, The Exigent Span, broke through an abandoned regio dedicated to Ylenrith-Who-Was (the Eternal who tore themselves apart to make the Cold Sun and Ylenwe. The majority of the force made its way towards Rundahl, but many smaller raiding parties left the larger group to devastate the people and land around them. They killed the people they came across and burned the life from the lakes, leaving only still and dead water.
Thankfully, three wards were placed on the marshes of Kallavasea, wards of mist and fog from the Night Realm. However, the usual creatures that can be found in these mists which lead travellers astray and devour enemies are absent, leaving only a mist which confuses the Cold Sun and gives the 10 heroes who volunteered themselves and their warbands a chance to get there in time.
The Grand Archon of the Exigent Span carries a great beacon which seems to have been brought to burn the Sovevann, the marsh where the bodies of great Wintermark heroes are laid.
A force from Runahl acts as a feint, while a second larger force attacks to the less defended rear of the Exigent Span, along with Kallavasea on skiffs from the marsh itself. There are also rumours of stranger beings helping there too, but it is hard to know what is true in the Night Realm fog.
The Grand Archon is downed, and their beacon stone is smashed, preventing the destruction of the Sovevaan, but the fight continues on. More reinforcements come and the army is forced back, North into Skymark, but there is still too much danger to relax.
If the Sovevann was purged, boiled, and defiled, then it would have burned the heart of the nation. Having an impossibly horrible effect on the people of Wintermark and their armies in particular.
The numbers of dead here are lower, around 100. Any players who sent their military units here are assumed to have taken part in the battle, and you may choose to roleplay having seen something strange and mystical in the fog.
Any mystic character in the area may also roleplay that they were one of the people to divine the threat coming to the Sovevann. You can write your own details but the basic idea is that, “a terrible blue fire spreading across the Sovevann and burning the heart out of the people of Kallavesa and Wintermark.”
(Varushka) The Shepherds of Ash
A small regio, known as Sumisev Peegel, is smashed open by the power of the Day Enchantment, and 3000 scions of the Cold Sun invade. They burn down the trees around the regio, and turn the crystals that can be found there into defensive spikes.
The heroes of Anvil placed two enchantments near the area, a Summer citadel and a Spring Forest enchantment, which the army avoids. However, this keeps them more tightly bound into the area of Livardz, where they kill any people they come across and destroy their homes. Much of the defence against them is taken up by individuals rather than a more organised force, it is mostly made up of local warriors and Dawnish seeking Glory who ordinarily fight the monsters of Varushka.
Additionally, an army of Thule warriors wait for some sort of message on the other side of the Sungold Pass, but when nothing comes to them they leave.
The region of Livardz has gained the Ruins quality to reflect the number of people and vales destroyed there; the Shepherds of Ash have not conquered the region, but they have also not been significantly injured, instead merely forced to stay in the region and concentrate their viciousness there. Several hundred people have been slain and many vales have been burnt to the ground. The amount of tax that can be retrieved from the territory has been cut significantly.
(Varushka) The Blade of Skies
The first sign of the oncoming attack on Duzekani, Karov, is when the bees all disappear. The second is when a hoard of Cold Sun Scions descend on a quiet Vale called Bulgakov, killing a third of the inhabitants and all of the small group of Dawnish Knights resting there. Another pair of large magical fortresses were placed near the region, the Scions avoid these, instead moving en masse across the countryside attacking the Vales and their defenders when they come across them.
When the Scions destroy a vale they raze it to the ground, leaving only a circle of black glass. These also appear where the army has stayed still for too long. These black glass circles give off an aura which makes those near to them feel dizzy and sick with dread. If anyone comes too close to them they are cursed horribly, burning from the inside out.
After some successes in defending against the Blade of Skies a rumour abounds that any vale or village that defends for a day will be spared, the army moving on, but this is rare enough that it is hard to prove.
The vale of Olvanshka in Kamienczk is burned despite the three warden fellowships who call it home.
There are rumours that the Scions approached the Weeping Stone that lies on the boarder to Hahnmark, but turn back and do not cross the border there.
The Blade of Skies turn their attention to the town of Delev. It is well defended, but not the extent of fighting off a magical army, and it is currently full of all the refugees who managed to escape the army elsewhere in the territory. If Delev falls there will be more death there than Varushka has seen in at least 50 years.
Overall, the deaths in Karov number in the several hundred and the Cold Sun is around a tenth of the way towards conquering Duzekani, and the taxation of the region has been reduced. The region has also received the Sun Burned quality, to reflect the many Black Glass circles now littering the region. These are very dangerous and could become permanent if the Cold Sun conquers the region, though they might be reversible if they are driven out.
There are several ministries and titles which will not be able to work fully, the trade network is too badly damaged. These are, the Overseer of the Westward Road, he Bonesetter of Torfast Trading Post, the Broker of Treji Wayhouse, the Northbound Trademaster, the Kalpaheim Tradeholder and the Bargainer of the Iron Tower. This disruption will last as long as the Cold Sun are there and will probably become permanent if Delev is destroyed.
There continues to be no sign of where the bees have gone.
In addition, the Scions of the Cold Sun appear to have attacked the trods in Western Varushka. An unimaginable amount of power was poured through them, the trods burning up under the weight of it all. This is awful, however it might have been better than the alternative, if the power had travelled it could have set fires across huge tracts of the heavily forested area.
These trods cannot be restored, any new trods will be destroyed by the Cold Sun, and people should be wary of giving the Cold Sun the chance to study the trods as it may teach them new ways to spread their destruction.
Any Navaar with at least one rank of Spring Magic who was travelling these trods may write into Profound Decisions by the 18th of April to ask for a traumatic wound that they received as the trods burned. These can be phys-repped with burns or parts of the body turning to ash, which may become fatal if not quickly treated.
(Navaar) The Still Walkers
Continuing with the Navaar, an army known as the Still Walkers, has exploded out of a cavern in a cliffside in Northpines, Hercynia.
Again they destroyed the trods, and an added complication here means that any move to replace them must be done in Deer’s Folly where the Vallorn has control. A quest will likely need to be organised for such a thing, but none are currently available.
Imperial magicians cast an enchantment on the area which caused the forest itself to fight back against the Cold Sun, and the Eternal Irra Harrah sent heralds to aid them.
The Still Walkers retreated back to the cliffside whence they came, and under the gaze of Navaar completed a complicated ritual which teleported them to Summersend, threatening the Weirwood Forest of High Pines, and the Great Library of Hacynian where studies on how to destroy the Vallorn are based.
The Black Thorns attack, having raced across the Empire to reach them in time, forcing them to retreat. They settle in a clearing, and appear to be making an attempt to once again use a ritual to teleport them someplace new. Determined to prevent this the Black Thorns attack during the night, felling a third of their number, but when the sun climbs into the sky they once more disappear.
They do not reappear, but this does not convince many that they are gone, merely that they have gotten better at hiding.
About a thousand Cold Sun Scions have fallen, compared to 300 Black Thorn warriors and tens of civilian orcs and humans. There is also a great deal of environmental damage with many ancient trees lost to the destruction of the Cold Sun.
(Navaar) The Empty Hands
In Oakways, Miaren the Cold Sun break through another small and half-forgotten Day Regio. Rather than seeking out a particular target, this army of the Cold Sun seems to be simply doing their best to destroy everything and everyone in their path. A Spring Enchantment is working to aid the defenders, but these soldiers have an additional weapon. A blue-green radiance that petrifies plantlife and poisons the land against future growth.
Hundreds of humans and orcs are killed as they flee to safety, the Empty Hands showing no mercy. In addition, they lay waste to many cultural monuments, and the worst is the destruction of the First Voice Glade, and have once destroyed the trods in the region. The problems here are much like in previous places, if new ones are laid down the Cold Sun will simply burn them again.
The Empty Hands are a third of the way to conquering Oakways and the region has gained the Petrified quality. This can be removed if the army is defeated but the more they take control the more permanent it shall become.
Like in Karov and Volodmartz, if you have one rank of Spring Magic you may choose to take a traumatic wound, read the original post for more details.
(Brass Coast) The Fire Beacon
The Fire Beacon are another army of the Cold Sun; this one burns anything and everything before it: grass, beasts, abandoned homes and those who try to stop them.
As they come closer to Sunsong Ranch, they are met by two armies of the Empire. The Fist of the Mountains, from Wintermark, and The Burning Falcon, of the Brass Coast itself. The Fist are joined by a group of Thule war-magicians, who have control over many war beasts, and the Burning Falcon are joined by elfin knights from the Summer Realms. The combined forces manage to force the Cold Sun back and there are few civilian losses since the people are willing to abandon their homes to keep their lives.
The Fire Beacon have special powers which give them an additional advantage against armies and fortifications. If an army falls to below 1500 (or 2250 if large) then they will disband, and any fortification destroyed by them will be impossible to rebuild, leaving nothing but black glass on the ground.
(Marches) The Ending Tide
Scions of the Cold Sun took control of a regio in Bregasland, using it to bring more and more of their fellow soldiers into the Marches. They have formed a new army, The Ending Tide and are gathering in Gravenmarch.
A Night ritual was cast across Grey Fens and it is confusing the Cold Sun badly and aiding the Marchers who fight back. Oddly it is also causing problems for the citizens trying to live a normal life in the region, and in particular those have been sent by the Senate to investigate the traitors left by the rebellion of Mathilda Fisher seem to be having problems.
Several armies come to fight The Ending Tide, the Bounders, the Drakes, and the Strong Reeds of the Marches, and Isaella’s Dance of Navaar. In addition, there are 1500 fighters brought by a dozen Marcher heroes. The battle was long and drawn out, but eventually the Cold Sun’s forces are pushed back to the regio from whence they came. Before the final soldiers fo the Cold Sun could be killed the regio implodes, dragging all of the scions of the Cold Sun back through to the Realm of Day.
The armies of the Empire have won against this army of the Cold Sun, but there are many dead. Also the Keeper of the Dour Fens has been kept from collecting their bounty of mana crystals, and due to the effects of the Day magic on the site the production has also changed, going from 10 crystals a season, to 5 crystals and 3 prismatic ink.
(Highguard) The Winnowers
More scions of the Cold Sun attack in Bastion, they take the ruins of White Tower and the lone watchtower left there, even going so far as to take the Shield of Loyalty, Oath-heart. They then take over the site, turning it into their own fortress and the eye in the storm of their widening control. Their forces keep moving outward from this point, killing and burning all that stand before them.
Even worse, a strange wind has started to blow out from the fortress, a wind that poisons the land and kills all plantlife, especially those herbs that can be used to preserve life. However, the High Herbalist of Sybella has seen no decrease to their production as Highborn herbalists become inspried by the attacks to send their herbs to the frontlines.
The Granite Pillar arrive about a fortnight after The Winnowers, with 7,500 soldiers lead by heroes of Anvil. This massive force manages to push the Cold Sun back quickly enough that they are not able to destroy everything as they go, and the famine-wind is stopped from spreading beyond Sybella Cross. Hundreds of soldiers die, but they take many more Scions with them, despite this, however, there are still 2000 or so scions at the base of their new fortress. This fortress gives them an additional strength of 1000.
Few civilians have been killed and there has been little to no disruption to the work at Bastion.
Unfortunately, the traders from the Sarcophan Delves will not be returning until it is safe to do so.
Conjunctions
There are several conjunctions available for heroes of the Empire to take the fight to the Cold Sun, the times have not been identified however, so keep an eye out for that update closer to the event. They are all deemed highly likely to see combat.
- The Hammer (Hahnmark)
- New Dunhall is under threat from a force from the Silence Arc, the Caretaker of New Dunhall is responsible for arranging the fight against them.
- A Hero in the Night (Kallavesa)
- Scions are making their way to Hufi’s Garden, The Woundbinder of the Mark is responsible for stopping the heralds.
- Into the Stone (Upwold)
- There is an attack expected at the Sutton Stone Quarries, the holder of the Sutton Stone Quarries is responsible for preventing this.
- The Bite of the Thorns (Miaren)
- The Spear of the Seven is expected to prevent an attack on an unknown target in Miaren.
- Visitations (Astolat)
- The Knight Protector of Autumn is needed to discuss a possible attack on the Castle of Thorns, a herald of the Lictors has heard things they wish to pass on.
- Scouting and Discoveries (Bastion)
- The Champion of Loyalty is expected to find a way to retrieve or destroy the lost Shield of Loyalty that has been taken by the Cold Sun forces based in Bastion.
And that’s all folks! I hope you found this useful, but I summarised from 15,000 words to just over 3,300 so if you have a connection to something in this Wind of War I would really recommend going and looking at the original to see what bits I left out.
If you found this useful, please like and subscribe to the website. I will no doubt be posting loads more of these summaries over the next few months so that will make sure you get them.
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See you all next time!
K
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